Every action counts: Fifteen ways to make a difference

By Alexandra Sharp

No one wants to have a dying planet. It’s extremely sad that humans are causing their own demise. Whether from emitting fossil fuels, diminishing finite resources or improperly disposing waste, climate change is real and imminent. 

Most people know the five Rs: reduce, repair, reuse, recover and recycle. These five actions are important to combat climate change. Yet, there are other possible opportunities to save the Earth. Here are 15 different ways, provided by several sustainability leaders in the Bellbird Biological Corridor, to make more ecological and sustainable decisions. 

Technology

1. Purchase an induction stove since it emits less greenhouse gas than a gas stove.
2. Avoid contaminating water with residual food by using a sink strainer.
3. Repair leaky pipes to conserve water.
4. Place string over your windows to reduce bird deaths. Hitting windows causes the majority of bird deaths in the world.
5. Use a reusable cloth coffee filter to reduce the waste of paper filters. 

Flora

1. Plant trees to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, improve soil fertility and protect species dependent on trees. Also, you can germinate and plant native tree seeds, like avocado species in the corridor, to promote plant and bird diversity.
2. Create a biogarden, a garden with specific plants that consumes and filters gray water.
3. Capture rain water with buckets or tanks. You can use the water to cook and clean.
4. Dig a water basin and plant native wetland vegetation to make a rain garden. This garden helps prevent flooding and erosion of fertile soil.

Fauna

1. Consume less meat and dairy to limit methane emissions and improve the atmosphere. Many animals, like cattle, produce methane. 
2. Fish with a fishing rod or buy fish that had been caught artisanally or responsibly. Don’t use a fishing net to avoid capturing juvenile fish or other species that you won’t use.
3. Use organic compost, like animal feces or organic kitchen waste, instead of synthetic fertilizers. Also, you can use cooking grease as organic compost.

Community Projects

1. Promote and shop at local and sustainable businesses.
2. Participate in the Adopt-A-Stream project, which is a worldwide project that monitors the health of streams and teaches people about water resources.
3. Organize communal compost in your neighborhood to improve local solid waste practices.

Edited by Wilson Rojas and Carla Willoughby